The Soviet Fighter Yakovlev Yak-3

The Soviet Fighter Yakovlev Yak-3

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The Soviet Fighter Yakovlev Yak-3




Author:Anirudh Rao
Language:English
Format:Softcover
Dimensions:8.3" x 11.7"
Pages:20
Photos:drawing sheets, color profiles
Publisher:Kagero
ISBN:9788366673038
Item No. 9788366673038



Yakovlev Yak-3 is considered one of the best World War 2 fighters, invariably praised by those who flew it in combat for its remarkable performance. The Germans also treated it with respect, which is perhaps best illustrated by Generalleutnant Walter Schwabedissen’s remark: The Yak-3 was a tough nut to crack for our pilots. It outperformed our machines in speed, maneuverability and rate of climb.The emergence of Yak-3 was a compromise between the need to improve the Yak-1’s characteristics and the limitations of Soviet aircraft industry and its outdated technologies. The basic design concept took those shortcomings into account, which allowed a rapid launch of mass production of this inexpensive fighter. This in turn would provide frontline units with timely deliveries of new equipment to recoup combat losses.The key to Yak-3’s success was not the use of a new powerplant (in those days hard to come by in the USSR), but rather squeezing every bit of performance out of the M-105PF engine, which resulted in a five percent increase in power output. In combination with some serious weight shedding, the Yak-3 had a significantly better performance than the Yak-1. At altitudes up to 5,000 m (which is where most of the air combat over Eastern Front took place), Yak-3 outperformed both the Bf-109 and Fw-190 in rate of climb and maneuverability.Unlike the Yak-1, the new fighter could also stay with the enemy in a dive.